New Delhi: Union Minister Piyush Goyal has withdrawn a derogatory remark he made in Parliament about Bihar earlier this week, saying he had no intention of insulting the state.
The Commerce Minister put out the clarification after Bihar MPs demanded his apology.
Goyal had interrupted a speech of Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Kumar Jha in Rajya Sabha Tuesday, and said, “Inka bas chalein toh desh ko Bihar bana de (If he had his way, he would turn the entire country into Bihar).”
An angry Jha retorted, “Piyushji, main haath jorta hoon, aap mujhpe tippani kar le, magar merey rajya Bihar pe tippani na karein. (Piyushji, you can insult me but not my state Bihar.) ”
On Wednesday, Jha wrote to Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar — who is also the Rajya Sabha chairman — demanding an apology from the Union Minister. Jha said the comment smacked of “elitism”.
Bihar MPs protested in front of the Gandhi statue in Parliament Thursday against Goyal’s comments. “Apologise Piyush Goyal, we will not tolerate the insult of Bihar,” they shouted.
Opposition MPs also walked out of the Upper House protesting Goyal’s remark, among other issues.
Jha’s party colleague and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav has also criticised Goyal’s remark, posting on Twitter Wednesday: “Look at the insult of Bihar and Biharis by an unwise and arrogant (vivekheen aur ahankari) Union minister. Projects worth Rs 2.5 lakh crore were taken away from his home state Maharashtra to Gujarat and he could not utter a word. This shows his standing.”
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